27 August 2012

Is This The Longest Bus Ever?

In a race to create the longest bus in the world and revolutionize public transport systems, Dresden, Germany has recently unveiled a 98-feet (30-meter) long bus.

Called the ‘Autotram Extra Grand’, the bus designed and built by Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems combines the capacity of a train with the maneuverability of a bus, and is able carry 256 passengers.

It runs on a fuel-efficient hybrid engine, and can travel eight kilometers on battery power.

Bus drivers that drive the ultra-long bus would not need special licenses, as the Autotram Extra Grand has a special computerized steering system.

“Thanks to this patented multiple axis steering, the vehicle can maneuver just as easily as a 12-meter bus, forwards as well as backwards,” the institute said in a statement.

Matthias Klinger, director of the institute, told The Local: “There is a lot of know-how invested in it—the computer is driven by a pretty clever steering algorithm.”

“There’s no problem with the maneuverability and stability, but we have to see how such a long bus affects normal city traffic,” he added.

The bus is currently undergoing tests, and will debut on the urban streets of Dresden in October.